Package of regular and mutually equal tetrahedrons



A. R- RAUSING Sept. 6, 1966 PACKAGE OF REGULAR AND MUTUALLY EQUAL TETRAHEDRONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed April 8, 1963 Fig 2 A. R RAUSING Sept. 6, 1966 PACKAGE OF REGULAR AND MUTUALLY EQUAL TETRAHEDRONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed April 8, 1963 United States Patent 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) This application is a division of my application Serial No. 271,097, filed April 8, 1963, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a package of regular and mutually equal tetrahedrons. Today a great number especially of liquid products are packed in tetrahedrons and therefore a demand has been created for suitable transport packages for a number of such tetrahedrons.

As a transport package it is known to use a hexagonal container of the type described in the Swedish Patent 175,387. In a container of this type the tetrahedrons are stacked in a certain pattern so that the container to an essential degree is filled with tetrahedrons. Through the tetrahedrons being stacked in the way indicated in the above patent specification the advantage is gained that the tetrahedrons get support from the bottom and side walls of the container as well as from the adjacent tetrahedrons, wherefore the individual tetrahedrons will better stand up to any strains occurring and in addition the stacking permits a high degree of filling of the container.

One disadvantage with the known containers is, however, that they are relatively expensive, wherefore they normally are returned after use. This transport of empty containers is naturally not desirable from an economic point of view, and a request has therefore been put forward for a package for tetrahedrons, where the container is inexpensive and therefore need not be returned.

The invention indicates a method of obtaining an inexpensive package for tetrahedrons through making use of a container of known type as stacking mold when wrapping a number of tetrahedrons in an inexpensive container. The method in accordance with the invention is characterized therein that the container serving as the stacking mold before putting the tetrahedrons in it, has been provided with a loose lining of a preferably flexible material, and that the mentioned lining, when the tetrahedrons have been placed therein, is wrapped around the tetrahedrons to form a package easily removed from the stacking mold which will keep the tetrahedrons together, the outer form of said package in the main corresponding to that of the container serving as a stacking mold.

The invention is in the following described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatical drawing, in which FIG. 1 shows a hexagonal container of known type serving as the packing mold the inside of which has been provided with a loose lining of a flexible material,

FIG. 2 shows the container and liner filled with tetrahedrons and FIG. 3 shows a package in accordance with the invention being removed from the container serving as the packing mold during the packing operation.

In FIG. 1 the container described in Swedish Patent No. 175,387, is provided with a loose lining 2 of a preferably flexible and elastic film material, for instance polyethylene film. The lining 2 is so large that its outer parts 3 will extend outside the upper edge 4 of the container 1. After the container 1 has been provided with a lining 2 a bottom layer of six tetrahedrons 7 are placed in it, in this layer each tetrahedron 7 is resting against the bottom of the container and also against the side walls 5 of the container as well as against the adjacent tetrahedrons. A second layer containing six tetrahedrons 7 are further placed in such a way that each tetrahedron in this layer extends in between two tetrahedrons in the bottom layer, whereby support is obtained from the tetrahedrons in the bottom layer as well as from the side wall 5 of the container 1.

When a suitable number of tetrahedrons have been placed in the container 1 in the way described above, the lining 2 is pulled up tightly around the tetrahedron and the outer parts 3 thereof is folded over the tetrahedrons 7. As it is necessary that the tetrahedrons 7 in the package should be kept together with sufiicient tightness to ensure that the configuration obtained when stacking in the container 1 will not get disarranged, the film 2 must be firmly wrapped around the tetrahedrons to ensure that it tightens around the outer sides of the tetrahedrons and firmly presses against them. As the film material described in the example is elastic, the tightening may be achieved through collecting and twisting together the outer area 3 of the film, whereafter the filrn is fixed in the twisted position.

The finished package 6 shown in FIG. 3 may now be lifted out of the container 1 serving as a stacking mold and is ready for distribution.

The example of manufacture shown here has proved to be advantageous from the point of view of costs as well as function. Instead of film material it is, however, possible to use net made from textile fibres or something similar.

I claim:

1. A package of mutually equal tetrahedrons, said package comprising a stack of at least two layers with six tetrahedrons in each layer, said stack being completely surrounded by and the tetrahedrons being held in their relative positions by a flexible covering.

2. A package as defined in claim 1 in which the covering is an elastic film.

3. A package as defined in claim 1 in which the covering is a net made of textile fibers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,011,179 8/1935 Krout 22953 2,164,505 7/ 1939 Edwards 206-46 2,748,673 6/ 1956 Winstead 22914 3,175,683 3/1965 Billing 206'-65 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. W. T. DIXSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PACKAGE OF MUTUALLY EQUAL TETRAHEDRONS, SAID PACKAGE COMPRISING A STACK OF AT LEAST TWO LAYERS WITH SIX TETRAHEDRONS IN EACH LAYER, SAID STACK BEING COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY AND THE TETRAHEDRONS BEING HELD IN THEIR RELATIVE POSITIONS BY A FLEXIBLE COVERING. 